That sound you hear is the silent death of Google Chrome's URL bar—or at least, the contemplative consideration of such over at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California.
An email sent to the Chromium developer mailing list by product manager Jeff Chang indicates that Google has, "a number of UI / frontend efforts under way" for Chrome, including the potential removal of the address bar from the standard Chrome interface.
So how, then, might one type a URL into the browser? The address bar wouldn't be gone for good in one of the four "window UI variants" being worked on by the Chrome team. Rather, the "compact" view that calls for the removal of the bar instead relegates the Web address field to a little drop-down element underneath a page's Chrome tab. Tabs—as well as the browser's navigation buttons (back, forth, reload—would all live within one unified horizontal plane.
The "hidden" address bar would appear in two instances: when a page is loading and whenever a user clicks on the tab of a given page itself.
"If we take the address bar out of the tab, it can be used as both a launcher and switcher; the user doesn't have to worry about replacing their active tab," reads Google's description.
The search bar—mashed into the address bar in Chrome's current Omnibox setup—would be separated into its own space to the right of the navigation buttons in Google's proposed "compact" view. While a user would still be able to use this field to query sites and load up Web addresses, essentially performing similar actions to Chrome's current Omnibox, the main URL of a site would disappear once loaded into a Chrome tab.
The weaknesses that Google's identified from such a setup include the aforementioned absence of the current URL for any given page, as well as the fact that navigation controls and menus lose their context sensitivity when they're promoted to equal footing alongside tabs within the Chrome interface. Most importantly, the tab strip gets crowded: navigation buttons, a search box, tabs, and menu buttons would all live on the exact same row.
One thing Google hasn't mentioned, however, is how a hidden address bar would help a user remain safe from phishing attempts: A lookalike web page used by spammers and other attackers to acquire a user's personal details. Currently, any Chrome user can easily see that they've loaded up pcmag.hackyou.com versus pcmag.com--would that harder to detect in a Chrome "compact" view?
Chang said he intends to provide weekly summary emails, released to the public, to discuss Chrome's ongoing UI development.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Presently the Most Widely Used Desktop Database System
When it comes to desktop databases, there is simply no comparison with Microsoft Access Database which is the most widely used desktop database in the world. The fact that it is a product of Microsoft makes it one of the best choices. This product need not be installed separately as it comes as an integral part of Microsoft Office Professional suite of products. Hence when you buy a new system, Access database may come installed. And since maximum computers across globe use Microsoft Operating Systems, you can expect support and improvement of MS Access in the future. Also, for years to come, it is going to survive the competition for desktop databases in the market. As such this is strong enough reason to prefer MS Access.
Access databases are especially suitable for individual use. It can also be placed on online portals where it can support a small group of simultaneous users. As such, until and unless your requirements and expectations from the software are big, you can enjoy MS Access. Normally database solutions created with Access can support 2GB storage. This means a minimum of fifty simultaneous users can be supported with ease.
Also, if the solution is designed to simply facilitate data storage and retrieval, the user-support number can go up. Further, MS Access solutions can be designed in such a way that it supports linking with one or more Access databases. As such, if your organization has a total staff of 200 or even 300, linking your present database with another database may offer efficient support and data storage. If your requirements cannot be made still, you have another option in porting your MS Access database to SQL server. The latter serves the purpose of a backend database. This may be required only at the enterprise level though.
MS Access offers other advantages as well. First, it is scalable. It is also cost-effective, easy to use, and secure. And complex Microsoft Access Software solutions can be designed to further enhance its features and functionalities. And if need to designed simple to complex database solutions, you can always look forward to Alpha Software.
Access databases are especially suitable for individual use. It can also be placed on online portals where it can support a small group of simultaneous users. As such, until and unless your requirements and expectations from the software are big, you can enjoy MS Access. Normally database solutions created with Access can support 2GB storage. This means a minimum of fifty simultaneous users can be supported with ease.
Also, if the solution is designed to simply facilitate data storage and retrieval, the user-support number can go up. Further, MS Access solutions can be designed in such a way that it supports linking with one or more Access databases. As such, if your organization has a total staff of 200 or even 300, linking your present database with another database may offer efficient support and data storage. If your requirements cannot be made still, you have another option in porting your MS Access database to SQL server. The latter serves the purpose of a backend database. This may be required only at the enterprise level though.
MS Access offers other advantages as well. First, it is scalable. It is also cost-effective, easy to use, and secure. And complex Microsoft Access Software solutions can be designed to further enhance its features and functionalities. And if need to designed simple to complex database solutions, you can always look forward to Alpha Software.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Choosing the Right Windows 7 Version [Flavor]
The hype is sky high, and we have seen, Windows 7 lives upto it. At the time of writing, only few hours remain for October 22nd launch, and already I see Twitter flooding for Windows 7.
PC users are rushing to get their copy to either run on existing machines or buying a new one having Windows 7 pre-installed.
Windows 7 comes in large no. of flavors, the top of the line being Windows 7 Ultimate. Not everyone needs all those professional and business class features. You should spend wisely and chose just right version for yourslef.
Here is a guide that will help you decide and compare which version is right for you:
Image is scaled down version of wikipedia.
Ok let’s start:
Windows 7 Starter is the lightest of all featuring almost nothing. Potentially it’s targetted for Netbooks. There is no visual appeal on this one, I am yet not convinced on buying this one for Netbook.
Tweak Windows 7 for Netbook
There’s not much difference between Home Basic and Premium. Basic doesn’t come with Multitouch, games, media center.
Home Basic serves all basic needs a normal user needs in day-to-do use.
Windows 7 Home Premium is the minimum version recommended for regular PC home for $119. Aero Peek for previewing programs and clearing the desktop, Aero Snap for resizing program windows, and the Aero skin with its translucent Taskbar and window borders are all in full effect. Aero Shake is also enabled, which is a quick way to clear the desktop by clicking and holding down on one program window and lightly shaking, hiding all the other open windows.
Read: Taranfx’s Why choose Windows 7 series
Theme switching and customization is activated, and the Media Center and Media Player will allow users to stream video directly to their desktops. Multitouch features are available.
To ease networking, Home Premium user can create a Home Group: for sharing music, video, and other files between computers that are all members of the same group. Home basic can only join such groups.
Premium built-in 64-bit support can accommodate upto 16GB of physical RAM. Home Premium can be upgraded using the Anytime Upgrade to either Professional or Ultimate.
Aero Peek is only available in Windows 7 Home Premium and above.
Location-aware printing, presentation mode, and XP Mode are not available.
Note: XP mode needs Hardware based Intel vPro support
Top Windows 7 Tricks, Keyboard shortcuts
Other features unaviaable in Home Premium but available in Pro and Ultimate are:
BitLocker: Encrypts drives for secure storage.
AppLocker: Restricts Appication execution to a particular user from the Group Policy settings. Few such advanced features.
Remote desktop host: A Terminal services Server that will allow remote computers to connect to your machine.
Aero glass via remote: the Aero Glass transparency for Remote PCs.
Windows 7 Backup and Restore: Backup and restore data to local or remote network drives
Windows 7 Professional is the power user edition, retailing for $199.99. It is ideal for Home and Office use. It will support up to 192GB (though that will be restricted to 8 to 16GB via hardware) of physical RAM in 64-bit mode.
Windows 7 Ultimate, retailing for $219.99, supports all those features plus virtual hard-disk booting and a subsystem for Unix applications. Good for developers and office/home power user.
All in all, there’s a lot to choose from, I recommend Home Basic for average home user and Home Premium for more Daily PC user. Professional and Ultimate goes with Power Home and business users.
PC users are rushing to get their copy to either run on existing machines or buying a new one having Windows 7 pre-installed.
Windows 7 comes in large no. of flavors, the top of the line being Windows 7 Ultimate. Not everyone needs all those professional and business class features. You should spend wisely and chose just right version for yourslef.
Here is a guide that will help you decide and compare which version is right for you:
Image is scaled down version of wikipedia.
Ok let’s start:
Windows 7 Starter is the lightest of all featuring almost nothing. Potentially it’s targetted for Netbooks. There is no visual appeal on this one, I am yet not convinced on buying this one for Netbook.
Tweak Windows 7 for Netbook
There’s not much difference between Home Basic and Premium. Basic doesn’t come with Multitouch, games, media center.
Home Basic serves all basic needs a normal user needs in day-to-do use.
Windows 7 Home Premium is the minimum version recommended for regular PC home for $119. Aero Peek for previewing programs and clearing the desktop, Aero Snap for resizing program windows, and the Aero skin with its translucent Taskbar and window borders are all in full effect. Aero Shake is also enabled, which is a quick way to clear the desktop by clicking and holding down on one program window and lightly shaking, hiding all the other open windows.
Read: Taranfx’s Why choose Windows 7 series
Theme switching and customization is activated, and the Media Center and Media Player will allow users to stream video directly to their desktops. Multitouch features are available.
To ease networking, Home Premium user can create a Home Group: for sharing music, video, and other files between computers that are all members of the same group. Home basic can only join such groups.
Premium built-in 64-bit support can accommodate upto 16GB of physical RAM. Home Premium can be upgraded using the Anytime Upgrade to either Professional or Ultimate.
Aero Peek is only available in Windows 7 Home Premium and above.
Location-aware printing, presentation mode, and XP Mode are not available.
Note: XP mode needs Hardware based Intel vPro support
Top Windows 7 Tricks, Keyboard shortcuts
Other features unaviaable in Home Premium but available in Pro and Ultimate are:
BitLocker: Encrypts drives for secure storage.
AppLocker: Restricts Appication execution to a particular user from the Group Policy settings. Few such advanced features.
Remote desktop host: A Terminal services Server that will allow remote computers to connect to your machine.
Aero glass via remote: the Aero Glass transparency for Remote PCs.
Windows 7 Backup and Restore: Backup and restore data to local or remote network drives
Windows 7 Professional is the power user edition, retailing for $199.99. It is ideal for Home and Office use. It will support up to 192GB (though that will be restricted to 8 to 16GB via hardware) of physical RAM in 64-bit mode.
Windows 7 Ultimate, retailing for $219.99, supports all those features plus virtual hard-disk booting and a subsystem for Unix applications. Good for developers and office/home power user.
All in all, there’s a lot to choose from, I recommend Home Basic for average home user and Home Premium for more Daily PC user. Professional and Ultimate goes with Power Home and business users.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Steve Ballmer's Microsoft Keynote at CES: What to Expect
LAS VEGAS - Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer is set to open this year's Consumer Electronics Show with a Wednesday night keynote, but what should we expect from the software giant?
Microsoft has had a number of high-profile releases recently, including Kinect for the Xbox and its Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system, so what's left for Microsoft to unveil? The rumor mill has included stories about everything from a glimpse at Windows 8 to a Microsoft TV product.
Tablets, however, are most likely on the agenda. Ballmer actually showed off an HP tablet during his 2010 keynote, which was released in October as the business-oriented HP Slate 500, but a Windows-based tablet has yet to really pop in the consumer space.
CES 2011
In July, Ballmer said he wanted to "make things happen" on tablets, but said Microsoft would not rush into anything. This year's CES, however, will see 80 new tablets unveiled, some of which will be Windows-based, like the Asus Eee Slate EP121.
Last month, there were rumors that Ballmer would show off a Samsung slider tablet during his CES keynote. Samsung is set to host its own press conference here at CES momentarily, so that could come to fruition sooner rather than later.
Windows Phone 7 was another huge endeavor for Microsoft last year. It debuted in October and Microsoft said last month that it had sold 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 devices; perhaps not a runaway success. Microsoft admitted at the time that "we have tough competition." As a result, expect chatter about Microsoft's mobile future. Engadget reports that Microsoft is prepping its first update for the mobile OS, codenamed "NoDo," which will add copy and paste, CDMA location support, support for additional Qualcomm chipsets, and some bug fixes.
Verizon also has yet to announce a Windows Phone 7 device, but they are likely more focused on their 4G LTE roll-out tomorrow morning than Microsoft.
Microsoft has also been pushing hard on its cloud computing efforts lately, so expect some Windows Live updates.
Another thing Ballmer will likely touch on is the success of Kinect for the Xbox. The hands-free gaming system debuted in November and hit 2.5 million in sales by month's end. It was also among the most sought-after tech devices during this holiday season. While there probably won't be any new Kinect-related material tonight (a new game?), Ballmer will likely take the opportunity to champion the success.
What about those rumors?
Windows TV: The Seattle Times reported this week that Microsoft will unveil a Windows-based set-top box. With all the emphasis on the cloud, this could make sense, but similar efforts from Google via Google TV have yet to really take off. Microsoft's effort would cost $200 and use Windows Media Center, the Times said.
Windows 8: Will we get a glimpse of Microsoft's next OS? Windows 7 hit the market in October 2009, so a year is likely a bit too early to start seeing anything real on Windows 8. We don't even know if that will be the official name. Earlier today, however, Microsoft did announce that the next version of Windows will support System on a Chip (SoC) architectures, including ARM-based systems from partners Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments.
PCMag will be at the keynote tonight; check back for our news updates about Ballmer's announcements and be sure to follow along with our live blog on Gearlog.
Microsoft has had a number of high-profile releases recently, including Kinect for the Xbox and its Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system, so what's left for Microsoft to unveil? The rumor mill has included stories about everything from a glimpse at Windows 8 to a Microsoft TV product.
Tablets, however, are most likely on the agenda. Ballmer actually showed off an HP tablet during his 2010 keynote, which was released in October as the business-oriented HP Slate 500, but a Windows-based tablet has yet to really pop in the consumer space.
CES 2011
In July, Ballmer said he wanted to "make things happen" on tablets, but said Microsoft would not rush into anything. This year's CES, however, will see 80 new tablets unveiled, some of which will be Windows-based, like the Asus Eee Slate EP121.
Last month, there were rumors that Ballmer would show off a Samsung slider tablet during his CES keynote. Samsung is set to host its own press conference here at CES momentarily, so that could come to fruition sooner rather than later.
Windows Phone 7 was another huge endeavor for Microsoft last year. It debuted in October and Microsoft said last month that it had sold 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 devices; perhaps not a runaway success. Microsoft admitted at the time that "we have tough competition." As a result, expect chatter about Microsoft's mobile future. Engadget reports that Microsoft is prepping its first update for the mobile OS, codenamed "NoDo," which will add copy and paste, CDMA location support, support for additional Qualcomm chipsets, and some bug fixes.
Verizon also has yet to announce a Windows Phone 7 device, but they are likely more focused on their 4G LTE roll-out tomorrow morning than Microsoft.
Microsoft has also been pushing hard on its cloud computing efforts lately, so expect some Windows Live updates.
Another thing Ballmer will likely touch on is the success of Kinect for the Xbox. The hands-free gaming system debuted in November and hit 2.5 million in sales by month's end. It was also among the most sought-after tech devices during this holiday season. While there probably won't be any new Kinect-related material tonight (a new game?), Ballmer will likely take the opportunity to champion the success.
What about those rumors?
Windows TV: The Seattle Times reported this week that Microsoft will unveil a Windows-based set-top box. With all the emphasis on the cloud, this could make sense, but similar efforts from Google via Google TV have yet to really take off. Microsoft's effort would cost $200 and use Windows Media Center, the Times said.
Windows 8: Will we get a glimpse of Microsoft's next OS? Windows 7 hit the market in October 2009, so a year is likely a bit too early to start seeing anything real on Windows 8. We don't even know if that will be the official name. Earlier today, however, Microsoft did announce that the next version of Windows will support System on a Chip (SoC) architectures, including ARM-based systems from partners Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments.
PCMag will be at the keynote tonight; check back for our news updates about Ballmer's announcements and be sure to follow along with our live blog on Gearlog.
Microsoft 70-237
Certkingdom Microsoft 70-237 braindumps will guide you through the path of your destination in blink of an eye. Easy to understand and learn, from Certkingdom Microsoft 70-237 braindumps are also available in PDF format, so that the candidate can learn and understand from his certification course in a better way. Our 70-237 braindumps allow students to prepare for their exam the way they want to.
Certkingdom can provides Microsoft 70-237 study guide,and have a huge experience of certification exams and 70-237 braindumps which we've been providing from the last decade and the number of students which have been benefited from these brain dumps and study notes are self speaking themselves.
Our challenging questions with Correct Answers built to simulate the actual exam. Unlimited, FREE auto-updates so you're never behind on any topic. Our most questions and answers along with explanations. Our practice test will determine you to take your 70-237 certification exam and pass the official exam on your first try.
Microsoft 70-237 Certkingdom, specifically prepared for amazing success in the exam. You need only to spend minimum time with the software to get a thorough command on all the aspects of your certification. The study material of Microsoft 70-237 Certkingdom is given in the easy format of questions and answers which will be very easy for all novices who wish to obtain the certification. Certkingdom offers Passing 100% Guarantee with Certkingdom 70-237 Real Exam Q&A. The practice tests are given in IT certifications 70-237 pdf format and are categorized according to the various contents of the certification exam.
Certkingdom can provides Microsoft 70-237 study guide,and have a huge experience of certification exams and 70-237 braindumps which we've been providing from the last decade and the number of students which have been benefited from these brain dumps and study notes are self speaking themselves.
Our challenging questions with Correct Answers built to simulate the actual exam. Unlimited, FREE auto-updates so you're never behind on any topic. Our most questions and answers along with explanations. Our practice test will determine you to take your 70-237 certification exam and pass the official exam on your first try.
Microsoft 70-237 Certkingdom, specifically prepared for amazing success in the exam. You need only to spend minimum time with the software to get a thorough command on all the aspects of your certification. The study material of Microsoft 70-237 Certkingdom is given in the easy format of questions and answers which will be very easy for all novices who wish to obtain the certification. Certkingdom offers Passing 100% Guarantee with Certkingdom 70-237 Real Exam Q&A. The practice tests are given in IT certifications 70-237 pdf format and are categorized according to the various contents of the certification exam.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Twitter Restores UberTwitter (Now UberSocial), Twidroyd Apps
Twitter on Sunday restored access to its API for UberMedia, the company that produces twidroyd and UberTwitter, now named UberSocial.
On Friday, the micro-blogging site suspended the UberTwitter and twidroyd apps for violating the company's API policies; those issues have since been resolved.
"We've given the developers of twidroyd and UberSocial for Blackberry (formerly UberTwitter) access to the Twitter API again," Twitter said in a note on its support site. "Our initial review indicates that steps have been taken to remedy the violations for these applications."
"When the developer updates twidroyd and Ubersocial, you'll be able to download their updates to access Tweets again on these applications," Twitter continued.
Twitter said last week that the two apps had violated its policies and trademarks in several ways, including a privacy issue with private Direct Messages longer than 140 characters, trademark infringement, and changing the content of users' Tweets in order to make money. Twitter said it had been in discussions with UberMedia, the company that produces the apps, since April 2010 but had not reached a resolution.
In the wake of the suspension, UberSocial said via Twitter that it had changed the UberTwitter name to UberSocial "to be a better partner with Twitter." Yesterday, it tweeted that "Twitter has approved our changes, and we expect to provide a new version in about an hour."
On Friday, the micro-blogging site suspended the UberTwitter and twidroyd apps for violating the company's API policies; those issues have since been resolved.
"We've given the developers of twidroyd and UberSocial for Blackberry (formerly UberTwitter) access to the Twitter API again," Twitter said in a note on its support site. "Our initial review indicates that steps have been taken to remedy the violations for these applications."
"When the developer updates twidroyd and Ubersocial, you'll be able to download their updates to access Tweets again on these applications," Twitter continued.
Twitter said last week that the two apps had violated its policies and trademarks in several ways, including a privacy issue with private Direct Messages longer than 140 characters, trademark infringement, and changing the content of users' Tweets in order to make money. Twitter said it had been in discussions with UberMedia, the company that produces the apps, since April 2010 but had not reached a resolution.
In the wake of the suspension, UberSocial said via Twitter that it had changed the UberTwitter name to UberSocial "to be a better partner with Twitter." Yesterday, it tweeted that "Twitter has approved our changes, and we expect to provide a new version in about an hour."
Technology’s Richest Leaders
Technology’s Richest Leaders
It's President's Day here in the United States, which got us thinking about great leaders. Since PCMag is in the business of covering and reviewing technology, of course we're thinking about tech leaders.
Tech leaders may not wield the political power of, say, a president, but they do have their own kind of power, influencing the lives of billions. Like many U.S. presidents, many heads of tech companies had humble beginnings. After all, the start of the personal computer revolution really took place in garages and meeting halls. But now, many of these same folks have amassed billions of dollars while working in the technology industry.
Unlike holding presidential office, once someone hits the top in technology, there are no term limits and there's no minimum age requirement. Some of the richest, tech commanders in chief are part of a second revolution that centered on the Internet, which means they're still quite young (although the "old guard" is far from ancient).
So who are the richest leaders in technology? Be prepared to see some familiar faces, such as our old pals Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. After all, amassing a fortune doesn't happen overnight, unless you're someone like a certain social networking service co-founder. Find out who the richest leaders in technology are in our slideshow.
It's President's Day here in the United States, which got us thinking about great leaders. Since PCMag is in the business of covering and reviewing technology, of course we're thinking about tech leaders.
Tech leaders may not wield the political power of, say, a president, but they do have their own kind of power, influencing the lives of billions. Like many U.S. presidents, many heads of tech companies had humble beginnings. After all, the start of the personal computer revolution really took place in garages and meeting halls. But now, many of these same folks have amassed billions of dollars while working in the technology industry.
Unlike holding presidential office, once someone hits the top in technology, there are no term limits and there's no minimum age requirement. Some of the richest, tech commanders in chief are part of a second revolution that centered on the Internet, which means they're still quite young (although the "old guard" is far from ancient).
So who are the richest leaders in technology? Be prepared to see some familiar faces, such as our old pals Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. After all, amassing a fortune doesn't happen overnight, unless you're someone like a certain social networking service co-founder. Find out who the richest leaders in technology are in our slideshow.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Intel Core i7-2600K
Given the towering number of broken promises we've experienced over the years, we were naturally skeptical when Intel began giving us the hard-sell on its new "second-generation Core" processing platform (a.k.a., Sandy Bridge). Onboard graphics! Terrific with media! Better than Westmere! Upon testing one of Intel's first Sandy Bridge CPUs, the Core i7-2600K ($317 list), we were astonished to find that it mostly lived up to the hype. It's not legendary in the 3D department, but its media processing is superb, and in many ways it surpasses similarly priced predecessors from both Intel and AMD. The Core i7-2600K won't satisfy die-hard enthusiasts, but everyone else is likely to like this power-packed processor.
With four cores and eight threads (thanks to Intel's Hyper-Threading technology), the Core i7-2600K processor definitely occupies a position in the upper ranges of Intel's new Sandy Bridge line. It has a base clock speed of 3.4 GHz, but can go as high as 3.8 GHz when Turbo Boost is enabled; 8MB of L3 cache; and has a TDP of 95 watts. The K in the CPU's name means that, in addition to its latent power, it also has an unlocked multiplier for greater ease of overclocking. That makes this a chip that's geared toward wallet-watching enthusiasts who want a lot of the performance benefits of top-of-the-line Intel chips without the bank-account ache that can accompany splurging on something like a Core i7-980X. (If you don't care about overclocking, the regular Core i7-2600 will run you $294; you'll also have to cope with a lesser version of the video hardware, Intel HD Graphics 2000.)
View Slideshow See all (4) slides
Intel Core i7-2600K : CPU
Intel Core i7-2600K : Die Map
Intel Core i7-2600K : Box
Intel Core i7-2600K : Fan and Heat Sink
More
At least for now, even getting a reasonably priced Core i7-2600K will mean having to spring for a new motherboard as well. Though this chip is the part of the line that's the direct successor to Intel's last-generation "Westmere" family, it won't work in the same LGA1156 socket designed for that one—the new LGA1155 socket is what's required. As is some patience, particularly if you plan to upgrade in the future. The Core i7-2600K comes with a new fan–heat sink unit similar to the one introduced with the Core i7-980X last year, and that requires a special bracket to be installed underneath the motherboard; this is easy if you're assembling a system from scratch, but not if you want to replace a chip in one you've already built.
Depending on what you intend to do with the resulting system, the total purchase price and frustration may be a bargain. The Sandy Bridge CPUs represent some seismic technological shifts that have both introduced new capabilities and expanded or improved on the old ones. We've written a lot about what's new in Sandy Bridge, so we won't rehash those details here. We will say, however, that some of Intel's extravagant claims about Sandy Bridge's performance were more fact than fairy tale.
We saw some terrific performance from the Core i7-2600K in our basic performance tests, including a 12,088 overall score in Geekbench that ranks as the highest in this price class. (The six-core AMD Phenom II X6 1100T earned 9,488.) The same was true of our 1GB TrueCrypt 7.0 encryption test, with the Core i7-2600K taking the prize with a best-in-class speed of 195 MBps.
What Intel had told us about the Sandy Bridge chips' prowess plowing through media-centric chores was even more fully proven. Things started to look impressive with Cinebench R11.5 rendering test, where the 2600K earned 6.86 points—the highest we've seen for any CPU within this general price class. Likewise, a round with Futuremark's PCMark Vantage full-system benchmarking app produced results of 5,905 in the Memories (photo editing) test and 6,280 in TV and Movies—again, the highest we've seen in both categories.
The picture brightened still further with our more practical tests. Handbrake, ArcSoft Media Converter, and Cyberlink MediaShow Espresso, all made quick work of transcoding our test video file into one optimized for the Apple iPhone 4, respectively requiring 93, 59, and 26 seconds. Those results were as good as or better than what we saw with budget discrete graphics cards from both AMD and Nvidia. The Core i7-2600K also smoked all comers in our Photoshop CS5 test, blasting through all 12 filters in 2 minutes 57 seconds. That's well beyond even what we've seen with six-core chips from both AMD (4 minutes 20 seconds for the Phenom II X6 1100T) and Intel (the Core i7-970, which costs upwards of $800, needed 3 minutes 37 seconds); the closest non–Sandy Bridge competitor we've seen was Intel's four-core Core i7-870, which still took 3 minutes 34 seconds. If you're big into photo and video work, the Core i7-2600K can give you one of the biggest boosts on the market.
This is not to say that game lovers will want to chuck their discrete cards, especially if they're of the high-end persuasion. As fine as the Core i7-2600K was at photo and video processing, it had more trouble getting over the hump in terms of 3D gaming. In Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage, its score of 11,583 is okay and its 2,173 rating is solidly unexceptional—at the Entry (1,024-by-768) and Performance (1,280-by-1,024) presets respectively. The average frame rates we saw in our 1,280-by-720 tests weren't much better with the Heaven Benchmark (13 frames per second), Lost Planet 2 (22.3 fps), or S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (22.2 fps). Because, in every case, the Core i7-2600K alone can't even break the 30 fps barrier, you can expect some noticeable choppiness even at this very modest resolution. And because the CPU only supports DirectX 10.1 and not DX11, you won't be able to see all the brightest bells and whistles on newer titles, even at resolutions the chip can struggle through.
If Intel's Core i7-2600K isn't an ideal standalone gaming-graphics chip, that's about the only aspect of the platform's promise it doesn't fulfill. With double take–inspiring performance, particularly when media is involved, it's going to be nearly ideal for mainstream enthusiasts who want top capabilities without paying top dollar. It also represents a serious challenge for AMD, whose biggest-and-best desktop CPU lags well behind this one in many circumstances and only costs about $50 less. Because the platform has just been introduced and requires a new motherboard, the cost of entry may be high. But if this inaugural offering is any indication, it may just be worth it.
With four cores and eight threads (thanks to Intel's Hyper-Threading technology), the Core i7-2600K processor definitely occupies a position in the upper ranges of Intel's new Sandy Bridge line. It has a base clock speed of 3.4 GHz, but can go as high as 3.8 GHz when Turbo Boost is enabled; 8MB of L3 cache; and has a TDP of 95 watts. The K in the CPU's name means that, in addition to its latent power, it also has an unlocked multiplier for greater ease of overclocking. That makes this a chip that's geared toward wallet-watching enthusiasts who want a lot of the performance benefits of top-of-the-line Intel chips without the bank-account ache that can accompany splurging on something like a Core i7-980X. (If you don't care about overclocking, the regular Core i7-2600 will run you $294; you'll also have to cope with a lesser version of the video hardware, Intel HD Graphics 2000.)
View Slideshow See all (4) slides
Intel Core i7-2600K : CPU
Intel Core i7-2600K : Die Map
Intel Core i7-2600K : Box
Intel Core i7-2600K : Fan and Heat Sink
More
At least for now, even getting a reasonably priced Core i7-2600K will mean having to spring for a new motherboard as well. Though this chip is the part of the line that's the direct successor to Intel's last-generation "Westmere" family, it won't work in the same LGA1156 socket designed for that one—the new LGA1155 socket is what's required. As is some patience, particularly if you plan to upgrade in the future. The Core i7-2600K comes with a new fan–heat sink unit similar to the one introduced with the Core i7-980X last year, and that requires a special bracket to be installed underneath the motherboard; this is easy if you're assembling a system from scratch, but not if you want to replace a chip in one you've already built.
Depending on what you intend to do with the resulting system, the total purchase price and frustration may be a bargain. The Sandy Bridge CPUs represent some seismic technological shifts that have both introduced new capabilities and expanded or improved on the old ones. We've written a lot about what's new in Sandy Bridge, so we won't rehash those details here. We will say, however, that some of Intel's extravagant claims about Sandy Bridge's performance were more fact than fairy tale.
We saw some terrific performance from the Core i7-2600K in our basic performance tests, including a 12,088 overall score in Geekbench that ranks as the highest in this price class. (The six-core AMD Phenom II X6 1100T earned 9,488.) The same was true of our 1GB TrueCrypt 7.0 encryption test, with the Core i7-2600K taking the prize with a best-in-class speed of 195 MBps.
What Intel had told us about the Sandy Bridge chips' prowess plowing through media-centric chores was even more fully proven. Things started to look impressive with Cinebench R11.5 rendering test, where the 2600K earned 6.86 points—the highest we've seen for any CPU within this general price class. Likewise, a round with Futuremark's PCMark Vantage full-system benchmarking app produced results of 5,905 in the Memories (photo editing) test and 6,280 in TV and Movies—again, the highest we've seen in both categories.
The picture brightened still further with our more practical tests. Handbrake, ArcSoft Media Converter, and Cyberlink MediaShow Espresso, all made quick work of transcoding our test video file into one optimized for the Apple iPhone 4, respectively requiring 93, 59, and 26 seconds. Those results were as good as or better than what we saw with budget discrete graphics cards from both AMD and Nvidia. The Core i7-2600K also smoked all comers in our Photoshop CS5 test, blasting through all 12 filters in 2 minutes 57 seconds. That's well beyond even what we've seen with six-core chips from both AMD (4 minutes 20 seconds for the Phenom II X6 1100T) and Intel (the Core i7-970, which costs upwards of $800, needed 3 minutes 37 seconds); the closest non–Sandy Bridge competitor we've seen was Intel's four-core Core i7-870, which still took 3 minutes 34 seconds. If you're big into photo and video work, the Core i7-2600K can give you one of the biggest boosts on the market.
This is not to say that game lovers will want to chuck their discrete cards, especially if they're of the high-end persuasion. As fine as the Core i7-2600K was at photo and video processing, it had more trouble getting over the hump in terms of 3D gaming. In Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage, its score of 11,583 is okay and its 2,173 rating is solidly unexceptional—at the Entry (1,024-by-768) and Performance (1,280-by-1,024) presets respectively. The average frame rates we saw in our 1,280-by-720 tests weren't much better with the Heaven Benchmark (13 frames per second), Lost Planet 2 (22.3 fps), or S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (22.2 fps). Because, in every case, the Core i7-2600K alone can't even break the 30 fps barrier, you can expect some noticeable choppiness even at this very modest resolution. And because the CPU only supports DirectX 10.1 and not DX11, you won't be able to see all the brightest bells and whistles on newer titles, even at resolutions the chip can struggle through.
If Intel's Core i7-2600K isn't an ideal standalone gaming-graphics chip, that's about the only aspect of the platform's promise it doesn't fulfill. With double take–inspiring performance, particularly when media is involved, it's going to be nearly ideal for mainstream enthusiasts who want top capabilities without paying top dollar. It also represents a serious challenge for AMD, whose biggest-and-best desktop CPU lags well behind this one in many circumstances and only costs about $50 less. Because the platform has just been introduced and requires a new motherboard, the cost of entry may be high. But if this inaugural offering is any indication, it may just be worth it.
78-702 practice exam
78-702 Exam on Your First Try. Our Exams are written and formatted by Top senior IT Professionals working in today is prospering companies and data centers. All of our practice exams including the 78-702 exam guarantee you success on your First Try. 78-702 is a challenging exam, with our 78-702 study guide, you can feel safe with our question and answer that will help you in obtaining your successful completion of your 78-702 exam.
Be IT Certified guarantees that you will pass your exam on the first attempt, regardless of when you take the Exam. Our Training products are under a constant revision and are kept up to date and relevant at all times. You will enjoy the added benefits of technical support.
This braindumps includes 78-702 study guide, 78-702 practice exam and much more which will not only enhance your abilities to cope with the problems but you will also be able to manage online real time problems. The only way to achieve exam guide and braindumps is to buy 78-702 exam Training Materials that for lifetime.
78-702 preparation kit to help you get certified effortlessly. Now you do not need to spend your time and money searching for study materials, books, etc., this 78-702 exam preparation kit contains everything you need to get certified, Just follow the instructions, focus on the study material and getting certified will be easy.
At Others Certkingdom 78-702 braindumps for exam page we have all the information which will increase your vision about solving the real on line problems. The basic aim of Certkingdom team is passing 78-702 exam on your first try. The best way to do this is to buy Certkingdom 78-702 actual answer.
Be IT Certified guarantees that you will pass your exam on the first attempt, regardless of when you take the Exam. Our Training products are under a constant revision and are kept up to date and relevant at all times. You will enjoy the added benefits of technical support.
This braindumps includes 78-702 study guide, 78-702 practice exam and much more which will not only enhance your abilities to cope with the problems but you will also be able to manage online real time problems. The only way to achieve exam guide and braindumps is to buy 78-702 exam Training Materials that for lifetime.
78-702 preparation kit to help you get certified effortlessly. Now you do not need to spend your time and money searching for study materials, books, etc., this 78-702 exam preparation kit contains everything you need to get certified, Just follow the instructions, focus on the study material and getting certified will be easy.
At Others Certkingdom 78-702 braindumps for exam page we have all the information which will increase your vision about solving the real on line problems. The basic aim of Certkingdom team is passing 78-702 exam on your first try. The best way to do this is to buy Certkingdom 78-702 actual answer.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Hands On: Microsoft's Windows Live Essentials IV
When used on Windows 7, Windows Live Photo Gallery also includes a wizard-like import tool that launches when you plug a device with pictures or videos on it into your computer.
It's easy to share photos and videos with a variety of sites, including Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Windows Live Groups and your SkyDrive account. On the Ribbon, you click the icon of the site where you want to share photos, and it takes one more click to share them. There's also integration with other Windows Live Essentials software. You can, for example, send a photo e-mail from within Windows Live Mail.
Windows Live Movie Maker
(Click to view larger image. For a slideshow of Windows Live visit Computerworld's image gallery)
The most significant change you'll see in the new version of Windows Live Movie Maker is -- surprise! -- that it now gets the Ribbon treatment. But there are several other useful changes as well.
For example, Windows Live Movie Maker sports the same interface on the Ribbon as Windows Live Photo Gallery for sharing videos via SkyDrive, Facebook, Windows Live Groups and YouTube.
Also notable are the new AutoMovie themes, which add a title, transitions, captions and a soundtrack to your video. You get a choice of six themes, such as a Sepia theme that turns your movie sepia-toned. In addition, Movie Maker now features a live preview feature, so you can see your movie in the playback window before making any changes.
More Windows Live Essentials
Microsoft has updated or introduced several other tools in its Live Essentials suite.
The Windows Live Writer blogging tool has gotten a minor redo, with -- yes, you guessed it -- a Ribbon interface. In addition, built into Writer is a way to easily link to SkyDrive-based photo albums and display them, so you don't have to create and embed that code yourself. You can also embed a Bing map into your blog.
Apart from this, though, there's not much new. Windows Live Writer remains a nifty front end to a variety of blogging applications, including Blogger, WordPress, TypePad, Windows Live Spaces, SharePoint and others. Note that, depending on your blogging service, it may either be very simple or very difficult to get the software to work with it. It's very easy to get it to work on Blogger, for example, but when you try to get it to work on a site that may have built its own blogging front-end with WordPress, it can be tough to do.
Microsoft's new browser toolbar, the Bing Bar, takes the place of the old Windows Live Toolbar. There are versions for both Internet Explorer and Firefox. It adds the Bing search box on the left-hand side of Internet Explorer's toolbar, which is overkill, considering that there's already a search box on the upper right-hand side of the browser. There's also an autofill function for filling out Web forms, and links to various Microsoft services, such as Bing video, Bing weather, MSN stocks, and so on. If you like that sort of thing, you might find it useful, although many people will find it superfluous.
Windows Live Family Safety is a piece of software that I believe few people will ever use. It is intended to fill a hole that Microsoft created when it inexplicably weakened parental controls in Windows 7. This new version appears to work very much like the old version; I was unable to discover what was new.
Windows Live Family Safety requires such a ridiculously confusing setup that it's hard to imagine anyone going through the pain required to use it. You'll need to create a separate Windows Live ID for every child, and then link those Windows Live IDs to a master parental Windows Live ID, then map the IDs to individual user accounts... let me just stop there, and say it's not worth the effort.
It's easy to share photos and videos with a variety of sites, including Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Windows Live Groups and your SkyDrive account. On the Ribbon, you click the icon of the site where you want to share photos, and it takes one more click to share them. There's also integration with other Windows Live Essentials software. You can, for example, send a photo e-mail from within Windows Live Mail.
Windows Live Movie Maker
(Click to view larger image. For a slideshow of Windows Live visit Computerworld's image gallery)
The most significant change you'll see in the new version of Windows Live Movie Maker is -- surprise! -- that it now gets the Ribbon treatment. But there are several other useful changes as well.
For example, Windows Live Movie Maker sports the same interface on the Ribbon as Windows Live Photo Gallery for sharing videos via SkyDrive, Facebook, Windows Live Groups and YouTube.
Also notable are the new AutoMovie themes, which add a title, transitions, captions and a soundtrack to your video. You get a choice of six themes, such as a Sepia theme that turns your movie sepia-toned. In addition, Movie Maker now features a live preview feature, so you can see your movie in the playback window before making any changes.
More Windows Live Essentials
Microsoft has updated or introduced several other tools in its Live Essentials suite.
The Windows Live Writer blogging tool has gotten a minor redo, with -- yes, you guessed it -- a Ribbon interface. In addition, built into Writer is a way to easily link to SkyDrive-based photo albums and display them, so you don't have to create and embed that code yourself. You can also embed a Bing map into your blog.
Apart from this, though, there's not much new. Windows Live Writer remains a nifty front end to a variety of blogging applications, including Blogger, WordPress, TypePad, Windows Live Spaces, SharePoint and others. Note that, depending on your blogging service, it may either be very simple or very difficult to get the software to work with it. It's very easy to get it to work on Blogger, for example, but when you try to get it to work on a site that may have built its own blogging front-end with WordPress, it can be tough to do.
Microsoft's new browser toolbar, the Bing Bar, takes the place of the old Windows Live Toolbar. There are versions for both Internet Explorer and Firefox. It adds the Bing search box on the left-hand side of Internet Explorer's toolbar, which is overkill, considering that there's already a search box on the upper right-hand side of the browser. There's also an autofill function for filling out Web forms, and links to various Microsoft services, such as Bing video, Bing weather, MSN stocks, and so on. If you like that sort of thing, you might find it useful, although many people will find it superfluous.
Windows Live Family Safety is a piece of software that I believe few people will ever use. It is intended to fill a hole that Microsoft created when it inexplicably weakened parental controls in Windows 7. This new version appears to work very much like the old version; I was unable to discover what was new.
Windows Live Family Safety requires such a ridiculously confusing setup that it's hard to imagine anyone going through the pain required to use it. You'll need to create a separate Windows Live ID for every child, and then link those Windows Live IDs to a master parental Windows Live ID, then map the IDs to individual user accounts... let me just stop there, and say it's not worth the effort.
Hands On: Microsoft's Windows Live Essentials III
Windows Live Messenger
Microsoft has also given its instant messaging application, Windows Live Messenger, a facelift -- most notably by integrating it closely with social networking sites.
There are now two views in Windows Live Messenger: a compact view, which looks very much like the old Messenger interface, and a new (and default) full view. The full view is designed to make Messenger not just an instant messaging application, but instead a central hub for your electronic communications, with a full view of activities on your social networks and the ability to interact with them without having to actually visit those networks.
At this point, Live Messenger only partially fulfills that promise, because it integrates with onlyFacebook and MySpace, and leaves out other important social networking services such asTwitter. So, for example, you can see Facebook and MySpace friends and their updates from within Windows Live Messenger, and share your status with your Messenger contacts. You can make comments on your friends' Facebook posts from within Messenger, view videos they've posted, and so on.
(Click to view larger image. For a slideshow of Windows Live visit Computerworld's image gallery)
Will these changes be enough to make you begin using Windows Live Messenger if you don't already use it? Not likely. But existing Windows Live Messenger users will be very pleased by what they see, especially if they're also users of Facebook or MySpace.
Windows Live Photo Gallery
The previous version of Windows Live Photo Gallery was a solid piece of work -- a good tool for organizing and viewing photos and for performing basic photo editing tasks. This new version juices it considerably, not only redoing the interface but adding some very clever new features such as face recognition.
As with Windows Live Mail, the primary change to the interface is the addition of the Ribbon. (Notice a pattern?) The Ribbon is particularly welcome here, because a considerable number of new editing tools have been added, and without the Ribbon interface, they would have been difficult to reach.
(Click to view larger image. For a slideshow of Windows Live visit Computerworld's image gallery)
These tools include a Retouch feature for removing blemishes, scratches and similar glitches. You can also auto-adjust batches of photos at a time, changing color balance, sharpness and exposure.
The new Photo Fuse feature is nifty and will be welcomed by everyone who has ever taken group photos. It works this way: Let's say you have two photos of the same group of people. In one photo, two of the people are blinking, and in the other photo, two other people are yawning. With Photo Fuse, you can replace the faces from one photo with faces from another and come up with a photograph in which no one is blinking or yawning. The resulting image doesn't come out absolutely perfect -- you may notice a bit of ghosting -- but it will be better than either of the original photos.
Also new is a face recognition feature. When you tag a photo of someone in Windows Live Photo Gallery, you can ask the software to look through all of your other photos, and find pictures of that person in other photos so that you can tag those as well.
Microsoft has also given its instant messaging application, Windows Live Messenger, a facelift -- most notably by integrating it closely with social networking sites.
There are now two views in Windows Live Messenger: a compact view, which looks very much like the old Messenger interface, and a new (and default) full view. The full view is designed to make Messenger not just an instant messaging application, but instead a central hub for your electronic communications, with a full view of activities on your social networks and the ability to interact with them without having to actually visit those networks.
At this point, Live Messenger only partially fulfills that promise, because it integrates with onlyFacebook and MySpace, and leaves out other important social networking services such asTwitter. So, for example, you can see Facebook and MySpace friends and their updates from within Windows Live Messenger, and share your status with your Messenger contacts. You can make comments on your friends' Facebook posts from within Messenger, view videos they've posted, and so on.
(Click to view larger image. For a slideshow of Windows Live visit Computerworld's image gallery)
Will these changes be enough to make you begin using Windows Live Messenger if you don't already use it? Not likely. But existing Windows Live Messenger users will be very pleased by what they see, especially if they're also users of Facebook or MySpace.
Windows Live Photo Gallery
The previous version of Windows Live Photo Gallery was a solid piece of work -- a good tool for organizing and viewing photos and for performing basic photo editing tasks. This new version juices it considerably, not only redoing the interface but adding some very clever new features such as face recognition.
As with Windows Live Mail, the primary change to the interface is the addition of the Ribbon. (Notice a pattern?) The Ribbon is particularly welcome here, because a considerable number of new editing tools have been added, and without the Ribbon interface, they would have been difficult to reach.
(Click to view larger image. For a slideshow of Windows Live visit Computerworld's image gallery)
These tools include a Retouch feature for removing blemishes, scratches and similar glitches. You can also auto-adjust batches of photos at a time, changing color balance, sharpness and exposure.
The new Photo Fuse feature is nifty and will be welcomed by everyone who has ever taken group photos. It works this way: Let's say you have two photos of the same group of people. In one photo, two of the people are blinking, and in the other photo, two other people are yawning. With Photo Fuse, you can replace the faces from one photo with faces from another and come up with a photograph in which no one is blinking or yawning. The resulting image doesn't come out absolutely perfect -- you may notice a bit of ghosting -- but it will be better than either of the original photos.
Also new is a face recognition feature. When you tag a photo of someone in Windows Live Photo Gallery, you can ask the software to look through all of your other photos, and find pictures of that person in other photos so that you can tag those as well.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
70-638 study guide
70-638 is a challenging exam, with our 70-638 study guide, you can feel safe with our question and answer that will help you in obtaining your successful completion of your 70-638 exam.
With many online resources for preparing for the 70-638 exam, you will notice when you read the below information that Certkingdom is your premier source for your 70-638 exam. With our Microsoft 70-638 practice test with explanations, no other vendor will be able to compare to Certkingdom for quality 70-638 study guides.
Certkingdom 70-638 study guide is guaranteed to be 100% demo free. We value the quality of training you receive through the 70-638 study guide and will never support 70-638 braindumps, or any 70-638 brain dump site. 70-638 braindumps site cannot compare to the understanding, learning and comprehension you will gain from Certkingdom 70-638 braindumps, based on facts and case studies, like Certkingdom.
70-638 exam is one of the most valuable certification of Microsoft 70-638 certification.Over the previous few decades, the education of computer science has gained the attention of a great majority of people all around the world. There are new developments everyday in the field of Information Technology and it necessitate on the part of IT professionals that they should upgrade their knowledge regarding all innovations in their field.
If you are looking to pass 70-638 exam, then Certkingdom is for you. Getting Certkingdom 70-638 is like having an automatic guarantee of passing it. This exam is tough, but with the proper learning tools by your side, passing 70-638 is a snap.
With many online resources for preparing for the 70-638 exam, you will notice when you read the below information that Certkingdom is your premier source for your 70-638 exam. With our Microsoft 70-638 practice test with explanations, no other vendor will be able to compare to Certkingdom for quality 70-638 study guides.
Certkingdom 70-638 study guide is guaranteed to be 100% demo free. We value the quality of training you receive through the 70-638 study guide and will never support 70-638 braindumps, or any 70-638 brain dump site. 70-638 braindumps site cannot compare to the understanding, learning and comprehension you will gain from Certkingdom 70-638 braindumps, based on facts and case studies, like Certkingdom.
70-638 exam is one of the most valuable certification of Microsoft 70-638 certification.Over the previous few decades, the education of computer science has gained the attention of a great majority of people all around the world. There are new developments everyday in the field of Information Technology and it necessitate on the part of IT professionals that they should upgrade their knowledge regarding all innovations in their field.
If you are looking to pass 70-638 exam, then Certkingdom is for you. Getting Certkingdom 70-638 is like having an automatic guarantee of passing it. This exam is tough, but with the proper learning tools by your side, passing 70-638 is a snap.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
70-638 Real Exam
Certkingdom 70-638 Exam is written to coincide with the real test by the experienced IT experts and specialists. With the complete collection of Questions and Answers, Certkingdom 70-638 is high enough to help the candidates to pass 70-638 exam easily without any other study materials and no need to attend the expensive training class.
70-638 exam questions are often regarded as some of the most challenging you will face today! This increases the importance for you to use good quality updated 70-638 practice exams as they will provide you with a measure of how you will do in the actual 70-638 exam.
However, this being said, be aware that Microsoft 70-638 free exam questions, 70-638 free exams and 70-638 free practice exams should all be used with caution, because often you will find them being inaccurate, outdated and not even relevant to the 70-638 exam objectives. Through feedback from thousands of certified individuals, we can offer you this word of caution for all free 70-638 exams that you come across online and offline.
70-638 exam questions are often regarded as some of the most challenging you will face today! This increases the importance for you to use good quality updated 70-638 practice exams as they will provide you with a measure of how you will do in the actual 70-638 exam.
However, this being said, be aware that Microsoft 70-638 free exam questions, 70-638 free exams and 70-638 free practice exams should all be used with caution, because often you will find them being inaccurate, outdated and not even relevant to the 70-638 exam objectives. Through feedback from thousands of certified individuals, we can offer you this word of caution for all free 70-638 exams that you come across online and offline.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Avoid getting buried in technical debt
In an experience report on the benefits of object-orientation for OOPSLA ‘92, Ward Cunningham observed:
Another, more serious pitfall is the failure to consolidate. Although immature code may work fine and be completely acceptable to the customer, excess quantities will make a program unmasterable, leading to extreme specialization of programmers and finally an inflexible product. Shipping first time code is like going into debt. A little debt speeds development so long as it is paid back promptly with a rewrite. Objects make the cost of this transaction tolerable. The danger occurs when the debt is not repaid. Every minute spent on not-quite-right code counts as interest on that debt. Entire engineering organizations can be brought to a stand-still under the debt load of an unconsolidated implementation, object- oriented or otherwise.
Cunningham’s debt metaphor has since become popularized as “technical debt” or “design debt”. The analogy applies well on several levels.
Debt service. Steve McConnell points out that where there’s debt, there’s interest. Not only do you eventually have to implement a correct replacement (paying back the principle), but in the mean time, you must work around what you implemented incorrectly (that’s the interest). Doing it wrong takes up more time in the long run, although it might be faster in the short term.
Deficit coding. Some organizations treat technical debt similarly to how some governments and individuals treat fiscal debt: they ignore it and just keep borrowing and spending. In terms of technical debt, that means ignoring the mistakes of the past and continuing to patch new solutions over old problems. Eventually, though, these patches take longer and longer to implement successfully. Sometimes, “success” gets redefined in terms of the minimum required to get by. More significantly, the entire system becomes more brittle. Nobody fully comprehends all of its dependencies, and even those who come close can’t make major changes without breaking things. Users begin to wonder why problems take so long to get fixed (if they ever do) and why new problems arise with every release.
Write-offs. You always have the alternative of declaring technical bankruptcy. Throw out the project and start over. As in the financial world, though, the consequences of that decision aren’t trivial. You can lose a lot of credit with users and supporters during the interim when you don’t have a product. Furthermore, a redesign from the ground up is a lot more work than most people realize, and you have to make sure it’s done right. The worst possible scenario would be to spend millions of dollars, years of effort, and end up with only a newer, shinier pile of technical debt. The very fact that you’re considering that kind of drastic measure indicates strongly against your success: the bad habits that got you here have probably left thousands of critical system requirements completely undocumented. Good luck discovering those before you ship something to customers.
It’s not all bad. Strategic debt can leverage finances, and the same holds true in the technical world. Sometimes you need to get to market more quickly than you can do it the right way. So, you make a strategic decision to hack part of the system together, with a plan to go back later and redesign that portion. The key here is that you know that you’re incurring a debt, and it’s all part of a plan that won’t allow that debt to get out of control. It’s intentional, not accidental.
That’s the main benefit of using the technical debt metaphor: awareness. Too often, after a particularly bloody operation on a piece of unmaintainable code, a developer will approach his or her manager with “We really need to rewrite this module,” only to be brushed off with “Why? It’s working now, isn’t it?” Even if the developer possesses the debating skills necessary to point out that all subsequent changes to this code would benefit from taking some time now to refactor it, the manager would rather take chances on the future, because “we’ve got enough on our plate already.”
By framing the problem in terms of the debt metaphor, its unsustainability becomes clear. Most professionals can look at a balance sheet with growing liabilities and tell you that “somethin’s gotta change.” It isn’t always so apparent when you’re digging a similar hole technically.
Another, more serious pitfall is the failure to consolidate. Although immature code may work fine and be completely acceptable to the customer, excess quantities will make a program unmasterable, leading to extreme specialization of programmers and finally an inflexible product. Shipping first time code is like going into debt. A little debt speeds development so long as it is paid back promptly with a rewrite. Objects make the cost of this transaction tolerable. The danger occurs when the debt is not repaid. Every minute spent on not-quite-right code counts as interest on that debt. Entire engineering organizations can be brought to a stand-still under the debt load of an unconsolidated implementation, object- oriented or otherwise.
Cunningham’s debt metaphor has since become popularized as “technical debt” or “design debt”. The analogy applies well on several levels.
Debt service. Steve McConnell points out that where there’s debt, there’s interest. Not only do you eventually have to implement a correct replacement (paying back the principle), but in the mean time, you must work around what you implemented incorrectly (that’s the interest). Doing it wrong takes up more time in the long run, although it might be faster in the short term.
Deficit coding. Some organizations treat technical debt similarly to how some governments and individuals treat fiscal debt: they ignore it and just keep borrowing and spending. In terms of technical debt, that means ignoring the mistakes of the past and continuing to patch new solutions over old problems. Eventually, though, these patches take longer and longer to implement successfully. Sometimes, “success” gets redefined in terms of the minimum required to get by. More significantly, the entire system becomes more brittle. Nobody fully comprehends all of its dependencies, and even those who come close can’t make major changes without breaking things. Users begin to wonder why problems take so long to get fixed (if they ever do) and why new problems arise with every release.
Write-offs. You always have the alternative of declaring technical bankruptcy. Throw out the project and start over. As in the financial world, though, the consequences of that decision aren’t trivial. You can lose a lot of credit with users and supporters during the interim when you don’t have a product. Furthermore, a redesign from the ground up is a lot more work than most people realize, and you have to make sure it’s done right. The worst possible scenario would be to spend millions of dollars, years of effort, and end up with only a newer, shinier pile of technical debt. The very fact that you’re considering that kind of drastic measure indicates strongly against your success: the bad habits that got you here have probably left thousands of critical system requirements completely undocumented. Good luck discovering those before you ship something to customers.
It’s not all bad. Strategic debt can leverage finances, and the same holds true in the technical world. Sometimes you need to get to market more quickly than you can do it the right way. So, you make a strategic decision to hack part of the system together, with a plan to go back later and redesign that portion. The key here is that you know that you’re incurring a debt, and it’s all part of a plan that won’t allow that debt to get out of control. It’s intentional, not accidental.
That’s the main benefit of using the technical debt metaphor: awareness. Too often, after a particularly bloody operation on a piece of unmaintainable code, a developer will approach his or her manager with “We really need to rewrite this module,” only to be brushed off with “Why? It’s working now, isn’t it?” Even if the developer possesses the debating skills necessary to point out that all subsequent changes to this code would benefit from taking some time now to refactor it, the manager would rather take chances on the future, because “we’ve got enough on our plate already.”
By framing the problem in terms of the debt metaphor, its unsustainability becomes clear. Most professionals can look at a balance sheet with growing liabilities and tell you that “somethin’s gotta change.” It isn’t always so apparent when you’re digging a similar hole technically.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Certkingdom Product Overview: 70-620
We guarantee your 70-620 success with our 70-620 Exam Resources. Our exams are developed by highly experiences IT Professionals working in today's prospering companies and data centers. All our practice exams including 70-620 exam guarantee you the exam success you need.
You can find many online resources for preparing for the 70-620 exam but read below to discover why Certkingdom is your reliable source for practice tests, study guides, and true testing environment. Nothing will prepare you for your next exam like a Certkingdom. You find it all here at Certkingdom.com.
We are all well aware that a major problem in the IT industry is that there is a lack of quality study materials. Our Exam 70-620 Preparation Material provides you everything you will need to take a certification examination. Details are researched and produced by Certification Experts who are constantly using industry experience to produce precise, logical and verified answers. You may get questions from different web sites or 70-291, but logic is the key.
Our 70-620 Exam will provide you with exam questions and verified answers that reflect the actual exam. These questions and answers provide you with the experience of taking the actual test. Our free Microsoft question papers is not just questions and answers, These are your access to high technical expertise and accelerated learning capacity. Certification Experts, Certified Computer Trainers, Technical Coworker and Comprehensive Language Masters, who have a solid, verified and certified background and high technical expertise, have compiled these questions and answers. 70-620 exam preparation Q and A provided by Certkingdom will make you feel like you are taking an actual exam at a Prometric or VUE center without any hesitation.
Furthermore, we are constantly updating our Exam 70-620. These 70-620 Exam updates are supplied free of charge to Certkingdom customers- hereby becoming an investment rather than a disposable product. Our clients receive the most reliable and up-to-date information when they decide to take the exam, Our candidates walk into the Testing Room as confident as a Certification Administrator.
Like actual certification exams our 70-620 Exam is in multiple-choice questions (MCQs). After purchasing our products you are just a step away from testing for certification. Still not convinced? Try our free sample or choose to buy your 70-620 Practice Exam now!
We are planning to launch our online exam engine. We will inform our customers when it will be available. The clients will feel the real exam environment while running this engine. This testing engine will be helpful to our customers and IT candidates 70-680 to pass the actual exams without any hesitation.
You can find many online resources for preparing for the 70-620 exam but read below to discover why Certkingdom is your reliable source for practice tests, study guides, and true testing environment. Nothing will prepare you for your next exam like a Certkingdom. You find it all here at Certkingdom.com.
Best Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training at Certkingdom.com
We are all well aware that a major problem in the IT industry is that there is a lack of quality study materials. Our Exam 70-620 Preparation Material provides you everything you will need to take a certification examination. Details are researched and produced by Certification Experts who are constantly using industry experience to produce precise, logical and verified answers. You may get questions from different web sites or 70-291, but logic is the key.
Our 70-620 Exam will provide you with exam questions and verified answers that reflect the actual exam. These questions and answers provide you with the experience of taking the actual test. Our free Microsoft question papers is not just questions and answers, These are your access to high technical expertise and accelerated learning capacity. Certification Experts, Certified Computer Trainers, Technical Coworker and Comprehensive Language Masters, who have a solid, verified and certified background and high technical expertise, have compiled these questions and answers. 70-620 exam preparation Q and A provided by Certkingdom will make you feel like you are taking an actual exam at a Prometric or VUE center without any hesitation.
Furthermore, we are constantly updating our Exam 70-620. These 70-620 Exam updates are supplied free of charge to Certkingdom customers- hereby becoming an investment rather than a disposable product. Our clients receive the most reliable and up-to-date information when they decide to take the exam, Our candidates walk into the Testing Room as confident as a Certification Administrator.
Like actual certification exams our 70-620 Exam is in multiple-choice questions (MCQs). After purchasing our products you are just a step away from testing for certification. Still not convinced? Try our free sample or choose to buy your 70-620 Practice Exam now!
We are planning to launch our online exam engine. We will inform our customers when it will be available. The clients will feel the real exam environment while running this engine. This testing engine will be helpful to our customers and IT candidates 70-680 to pass the actual exams without any hesitation.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 Clients
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 Clients For Microsoft Office Outlook Compatibility Update (Service Provider Edition) 1 (Windows)
With this update, for the Service Provider Edition of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you can install and run Microsoft Dynamics CRM clients for Microsoft Office Outlook on computers that run Windows Vista-based operating systems and/or Office 2007-based applications. Microsoft Dynamics CRM clients for Microsoft Office Outlook enables access to the same data through Outlook as the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Web client. This version is the first release on CNET Download.com.
With this update, for the Service Provider Edition of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you can install and run Microsoft Dynamics CRM clients for Microsoft Office Outlook on computers that run Windows Vista-based operating systems and/or Office 2007-based applications. Microsoft Dynamics CRM clients for Microsoft Office Outlook enables access to the same data through Outlook as the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Web client. This version is the first release on CNET Download.com.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Windows Phone 7's disappointing app sales reality
Windows Phone 7 developers got an unexpected present from Microsoft this holiday season: early payouts (bumped up to January from February) and immediate access to downloads and sales data (originally slated for February as well). I don’t know why Microsoft had a sudden change of heart, but I do know that there was a widely circulated and quoted, copied, and imitated article about how hard it was to make development decisions regarding the server-side end of Windows Phone 7 apps without this data. The timing of the change in course for Microsoft and the publication of that article (November 29, 2010) is curious indeed.
Before this information was released, developers were really frustrated because they knew the data existed. Bing’s Visual Search was showing the “download popularity” of apps for a short period of time (incidentally, I think that the ranking weights recent downloads much more than past downloads), and developers were finding other ways to get the data (such as pinging a Web service when an app was run for the first time or purchased).
A look at the numbers
From my perspective, the numbers are positively abysmal. I am not going to comment on how these numbers may indicate potential handset sales because I don’t know nearly enough about the correlation between the number of handsets sold and the actual sales numbers on other platforms to make any guesses. I have said that Windows Phone 7 development should be thought of as a hobby or a learning experience rather than a business model, and I was spot on. Let’s look at the data for my Windows Phone 7 apps to see what I mean.
My first Windows Phone 7 app was the free Airport Status Checker. It’s hardly a unique app, and it’s limited in scope. Incidentally, the app has a poor user rating (one-and-a-half stars from three reviewers, last I checked), but since a good number of the downloaders are outside the United States, and it only works for U.S. airports, I suspect that is the source of the poor ratings. At one point, Bing Visual Search showed it as #272 in the rankings, but it has been slowly slipping. A friend reports that his apps are slowly slipping, as is my other app that has been out a while, which is why I believe that recent downloads are more important in the rankings. All the same, it is still at the bottom of the top 10% of applications on the platform, which isn’t too shabby.
Airport Status Checker had just over 900 downloads in a month, but let’s put this into perspective. Every now and then, I post source code that accompanies one of my TechRepublic articles to my company’s Web site, and those packages get over 900 downloads in several days, so 900 downloads does not impress me. That’s the number of downloads that some obscure, niche piece of shareware can get on one of the major shareware/freeware/trialware sites. Of course, the phone market is much, much smaller. At the same time, the Windows Phone 7 App Hub is too. It isn’t the saturated market that the Apple App Store and the Android Marketplace are. You can write a throwaway app like Airport Status Checker, and it will still stand out a little (it didn’t help that I used a public domain icon that a number of other apps used too).
But what do the numbers on a paid application look like? My Local Crime Rate application has been ranked at the top of the bottom 50% for a while, coming out around #1,700 and sliding down to around #2,000. It has been out nearly a month. It is priced at 99 cents, and does not have a free trial. It has a whopping seven downloads. Assuming the pace of sales holds steady, accounting for Microsoft taking 30% of revenues and holding checks until you’ve earned $200 in payouts, it would take me over 288 months to see my first $200 check from Local Crime Rate. And that is an app that is not doing too poorly in the overall rankings. That tells me that apps in the bottom 50% are looking at 10 downloads per month, or less.
My third application, Name That Nerd, provides some additional clues. After about a week in the market, it is rated #2,006 (out of 3,000 listed). It has 24 downloads and 1 sale. Extrapolating a little bit more, that’s 100 downloads a month and 4 sales (at 99 cents each). I can understand the low sales numbers — it’s a quiz application, and I simply did not put many entries into the quiz database (I was in a hurry to get it approved so I could enter a contest). I take full credit for the sales numbers.
The top apps are pretty high-quality, for the most part. Kudos to the folks who put forth the time and effort to making something good. (There are reports that Microsoft has been slipping payments to developers to port apps or develop apps for Windows Phone 7.) That said, my Airport Status Checker app shows that you can be in the top 10% (which isn’t a bad place to be) and not be moving many units. If it was a paid app, even with a 20% conversion rate (which is phenomenal), that would be under $200 in sales because Microsoft took its percentage. While $200 in sales is a good number for an application that required this level of effort, it is abysmal for anything that I would have spent much time and effort on.
Conclusion
My advice still stands for the time being: do not develop applications for Windows Phone 7 with the expectation that you will make big bucks. Does this mean that there is no opportunity in the Windows Phone 7 App Hub to make money? Not at all. I think that the market is wide open for apps.
Games and entertainment dominate the top apps, but outside the top tier, the apps look pretty run-of-the mill, with a lot of unit converters, flashlights, and dice rolling applications. The applications are mostly uninteresting right now. I think that the folks who can fulfill basic, mass market need (say, an outstanding Twitter or Facebook application for 99 cents), put together a polished game, or create a must have business application will be on to something. I am sure that there is a logarithmic rise in download rates in the top 100 as well.
So, if you have an app that you think can get into the top 100, or it will be something with staying power and earn enough per month to make you happy, by all means, go for it. But if your plan is to count on the sheer number of downloads to carry a niche or less than stellar product into profitability, you are mistaken. Windows Phone 7 just does not have the number of handsets out there for a “throw mud to the wall and see what sticks” strategy to get a great success unless you have a way of cranking out mud at a rapid pace.
Before this information was released, developers were really frustrated because they knew the data existed. Bing’s Visual Search was showing the “download popularity” of apps for a short period of time (incidentally, I think that the ranking weights recent downloads much more than past downloads), and developers were finding other ways to get the data (such as pinging a Web service when an app was run for the first time or purchased).
A look at the numbers
From my perspective, the numbers are positively abysmal. I am not going to comment on how these numbers may indicate potential handset sales because I don’t know nearly enough about the correlation between the number of handsets sold and the actual sales numbers on other platforms to make any guesses. I have said that Windows Phone 7 development should be thought of as a hobby or a learning experience rather than a business model, and I was spot on. Let’s look at the data for my Windows Phone 7 apps to see what I mean.
My first Windows Phone 7 app was the free Airport Status Checker. It’s hardly a unique app, and it’s limited in scope. Incidentally, the app has a poor user rating (one-and-a-half stars from three reviewers, last I checked), but since a good number of the downloaders are outside the United States, and it only works for U.S. airports, I suspect that is the source of the poor ratings. At one point, Bing Visual Search showed it as #272 in the rankings, but it has been slowly slipping. A friend reports that his apps are slowly slipping, as is my other app that has been out a while, which is why I believe that recent downloads are more important in the rankings. All the same, it is still at the bottom of the top 10% of applications on the platform, which isn’t too shabby.
Airport Status Checker had just over 900 downloads in a month, but let’s put this into perspective. Every now and then, I post source code that accompanies one of my TechRepublic articles to my company’s Web site, and those packages get over 900 downloads in several days, so 900 downloads does not impress me. That’s the number of downloads that some obscure, niche piece of shareware can get on one of the major shareware/freeware/trialware sites. Of course, the phone market is much, much smaller. At the same time, the Windows Phone 7 App Hub is too. It isn’t the saturated market that the Apple App Store and the Android Marketplace are. You can write a throwaway app like Airport Status Checker, and it will still stand out a little (it didn’t help that I used a public domain icon that a number of other apps used too).
But what do the numbers on a paid application look like? My Local Crime Rate application has been ranked at the top of the bottom 50% for a while, coming out around #1,700 and sliding down to around #2,000. It has been out nearly a month. It is priced at 99 cents, and does not have a free trial. It has a whopping seven downloads. Assuming the pace of sales holds steady, accounting for Microsoft taking 30% of revenues and holding checks until you’ve earned $200 in payouts, it would take me over 288 months to see my first $200 check from Local Crime Rate. And that is an app that is not doing too poorly in the overall rankings. That tells me that apps in the bottom 50% are looking at 10 downloads per month, or less.
My third application, Name That Nerd, provides some additional clues. After about a week in the market, it is rated #2,006 (out of 3,000 listed). It has 24 downloads and 1 sale. Extrapolating a little bit more, that’s 100 downloads a month and 4 sales (at 99 cents each). I can understand the low sales numbers — it’s a quiz application, and I simply did not put many entries into the quiz database (I was in a hurry to get it approved so I could enter a contest). I take full credit for the sales numbers.
The top apps are pretty high-quality, for the most part. Kudos to the folks who put forth the time and effort to making something good. (There are reports that Microsoft has been slipping payments to developers to port apps or develop apps for Windows Phone 7.) That said, my Airport Status Checker app shows that you can be in the top 10% (which isn’t a bad place to be) and not be moving many units. If it was a paid app, even with a 20% conversion rate (which is phenomenal), that would be under $200 in sales because Microsoft took its percentage. While $200 in sales is a good number for an application that required this level of effort, it is abysmal for anything that I would have spent much time and effort on.
Conclusion
My advice still stands for the time being: do not develop applications for Windows Phone 7 with the expectation that you will make big bucks. Does this mean that there is no opportunity in the Windows Phone 7 App Hub to make money? Not at all. I think that the market is wide open for apps.
Games and entertainment dominate the top apps, but outside the top tier, the apps look pretty run-of-the mill, with a lot of unit converters, flashlights, and dice rolling applications. The applications are mostly uninteresting right now. I think that the folks who can fulfill basic, mass market need (say, an outstanding Twitter or Facebook application for 99 cents), put together a polished game, or create a must have business application will be on to something. I am sure that there is a logarithmic rise in download rates in the top 100 as well.
So, if you have an app that you think can get into the top 100, or it will be something with staying power and earn enough per month to make you happy, by all means, go for it. But if your plan is to count on the sheer number of downloads to carry a niche or less than stellar product into profitability, you are mistaken. Windows Phone 7 just does not have the number of handsets out there for a “throw mud to the wall and see what sticks” strategy to get a great success unless you have a way of cranking out mud at a rapid pace.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
How to Create A Hidden User Account | Windows Tweak
This tweak allows an account that is normally displayed on the Welcome screen to be hidden from view. To log on using the account it's necessary to use the Log On To Windows dialog box similar to the one in Windows 2000. #[Start] [Run] [Regedit]#Registry Key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList#Modify/Create the Value Data Type(s) and Value Name(s) as detailed below.#Data Type: REG_DWORD [Dword Value] // Value Name: Type Name of Account to be Hidden#Setting for Value Data: [0 = Account is Hidden / 1 = Enabled]#Exit Registry and Reboot...
While the account is hidden on the Welcome screen, note that the account profile will be visible in C:\Documents and Settings or wherever user profiles are stored as well as in Local Users and Groups
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList#Modify/Create the Value Data Type(s) and Value Name(s) as detailed below.#Data Type: REG_DWORD [Dword Value] // Value Name: Type Name of Account to be Hidden#Setting for Value Data: [0 = Account is Hidden / 1 = Enabled]#Exit Registry and Reboot...
While the account is hidden on the Welcome screen, note that the account profile will be visible in C:\Documents and Settings or wherever user profiles are stored as well as in Local Users and Groups
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Exam 70-620 Preparation Material
Preparation Tools and Resources
To help you prepare for 70-620 Exam, Microsoft Learning recommends that you have hands-on experience with the product and that you use the following training resources. These training resources do not necessarily cover all of the topics listed in the "Skills Measured" tab.
Classroom Training
?5117A: Installing, Configuring, Troubleshooting, and Maintaining Windows Vista (3 Days)
?5115AL: Installing and Configuring the Windows Vista Operating System - MODL (3 Days)
?5116AL: Configuring Windows Vista Mobile Computing and Applications - MODL (2 Days)
Microsoft E-Learning
?10327AE: MCTS (Exam 70-620): Configuring Microsoft Windows Vista Client (28 Hours)
?5354BE: Configuring Windows Vista Networking and Security (10 Hours)
?5347BE: Installing and Configuring Windows Vista (12 Hours)
?5103BE: Upgrade Skills to Configure Windows Vista (16 Hours)
Microsoft Press Books
?MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-620): Configuring Microsoft Windows Vista Client Practice Tests
?MeasureUp
(Measureup.com)
?Self Test Software
(Selftestsoftware.com)
Microsoft Online Resources
?Windows Vista - Learning Portal: Find special offers and information on training and certification provider.
?Product information: Visit the Windows Vista Web site for detailed product information.
?Microsoft Learning Community: Join newsgroups and visit community forums to connect with your peers for suggestions on training resources and advice on your certification path and studies.
?TechNet: Designed for IT professionals, this site includes how-to instructions, best practices, downloads, technical resources, newsgroups, and chats.
This is an easy exam. In fact, it's a laughably-easy exam if you have a lot of Windows experience and certifications. If you don't, you still shouldn't have much problem at all. I can't imagine someone failing if they read a good book and study my notes here. I used the Sybex study guide to study for this exam. It did the job (again, the exam is easy), though I found that it covered a lot of material that the exam doesn't cover. Those topics end up being covered in the 70-622 exam (Vista, Enterprise Support). If you intend on taking 70-622 next, then the Sybex guide practically kills two birds with free certification exam papers. If, on the other hand, you don't intend on taking 70-622 next, you might be better off with the Microsoft study guide, which appears to better-address the 70-620 and not much more. Both are very good and recommended guides; pick the one that better suits your plans for after 70-620.
To help you prepare for 70-620 Exam, Microsoft Learning recommends that you have hands-on experience with the product and that you use the following training resources. These training resources do not necessarily cover all of the topics listed in the "Skills Measured" tab.
Classroom Training
?5117A: Installing, Configuring, Troubleshooting, and Maintaining Windows Vista (3 Days)
?5115AL: Installing and Configuring the Windows Vista Operating System - MODL (3 Days)
?5116AL: Configuring Windows Vista Mobile Computing and Applications - MODL (2 Days)
Microsoft E-Learning
?10327AE: MCTS (Exam 70-620): Configuring Microsoft Windows Vista Client (28 Hours)
?5354BE: Configuring Windows Vista Networking and Security (10 Hours)
?5347BE: Installing and Configuring Windows Vista (12 Hours)
?5103BE: Upgrade Skills to Configure Windows Vista (16 Hours)
Best Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training at Certkingdom.com
Microsoft Press Books
?MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-620): Configuring Microsoft Windows Vista Client Practice Tests
?MeasureUp
(Measureup.com)
?Self Test Software
(Selftestsoftware.com)
Microsoft Online Resources
?Windows Vista - Learning Portal: Find special offers and information on training and certification provider.
?Product information: Visit the Windows Vista Web site for detailed product information.
?Microsoft Learning Community: Join newsgroups and visit community forums to connect with your peers for suggestions on training resources and advice on your certification path and studies.
?TechNet: Designed for IT professionals, this site includes how-to instructions, best practices, downloads, technical resources, newsgroups, and chats.
This is an easy exam. In fact, it's a laughably-easy exam if you have a lot of Windows experience and certifications. If you don't, you still shouldn't have much problem at all. I can't imagine someone failing if they read a good book and study my notes here. I used the Sybex study guide to study for this exam. It did the job (again, the exam is easy), though I found that it covered a lot of material that the exam doesn't cover. Those topics end up being covered in the 70-622 exam (Vista, Enterprise Support). If you intend on taking 70-622 next, then the Sybex guide practically kills two birds with free certification exam papers. If, on the other hand, you don't intend on taking 70-622 next, you might be better off with the Microsoft study guide, which appears to better-address the 70-620 and not much more. Both are very good and recommended guides; pick the one that better suits your plans for after 70-620.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)